Forbidden
by FangGirlForever
Summary: Your average story about how Prince Fang and Princess Max fall in love. The only problem is, their cities are enemies. When Fang is kidnapped by Max's city and made a slave, Max falls hard for him. The worst part... A war is brewing between their parent.
1. Chapter 1

**Here is yet another new story. Normally, I wouldn't juggle more than like two stories at a time, but I've had this one in mind for a long time, so I wanted to put it out there.**

Prologue

Before my city, Alexander existed; it was split into two different cities. Laylanth and Emmerston. The cities were enemies, always at each other's throats, for they both were powerful nations. These two kingdoms were united by the greatest rulers of all time; King Nicholas and Queen Maximum. It wasn't an easy task though.

Both King Nicholas and Queen Maximum faced many, many, many hardships. This is there story.

Third Person's P.O.V  
><span>It was late at night in the city of Laylanth. The townspeople were all in the streets celebrating. There was of course, a great reason to celebrate. The city's beloved king and queen, King Stephen and Queen Johanna, had given birth to a son. A prince had been born.

Laylanth was a pleasant kingdom. There were no class systems and everyone was treated as an equal. What the people were most proud of, though, was the fact that slavery was strictly forbidden.

As the king and queen walked through the brightly lit streets of Laylanth, people showered them with flowers. The queen was holding a small bundle of blue in her hands. The baby looked like a mix of his mother and father. He had a small tuft of black hair just like his father, but his eyes were black and intelligent like his mother.

The royal family walked into a small hut in the outskirts of the city. This was the house of Estelle, the cities fortune teller. It was tradition for a new born child to be taken to her so she could see its future. Estelle was ancient. She had leathery skin and limp, white hair. She was short, about four six, but she was greatly respected and feared in some people's cases.

"Your majesties." She said in her shrill voice.

"Hello Estelle." The King said friendlily. "We have brought our son here. We'd be honored if you would read his fortune for us."

"Well of course. Now, lay the boy here." She pointed to the table. Queen Johanna laid the bundle of blue on the table Estelle had pointed to. The baby was fast asleep. Estelle put her wrinkled hand on the little boy's forehead. She closed her eyes for about three minutes. When she opened them again, she frowned.

"Madame Estelle." The Queen asked. "Is everything alright?"

Estelle shook her head. "Something terrible is going to happen to the boy." The queen gasped. King Stephen put an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "I am not sure what it is, but I know that it'll happen very soon. At the end though, he will be successful. Yes your majesties, Prince Nicholas will be a very, very successful king. He will make his city proud." Estelle finished. The king and queen thanked Estelle and went back to the castle.

At the exact same time the prince was born, a princess was born to King Richard and Queen Gloria, the King and Queen of Emmerston, Laylanth's enemy. Emmerston was a much more proper city. Class systems mattered to everyone, and slaves were greatly encouraged.

The King and Queen smiled at their daughter and decided to name her Maximum, for she would be the future queen of Emmerston and therefore needed a name that would express her power. The princess had chocolate eyes like her father and blonde hair like her mother.

The king and queen already knew that she would grow up to be the most beautiful girl anyone had ever seen. That, she did.

Four Years Later

It was a beautiful day in Laylanth. It was also Prince Nicholas's or Fang as they called him because of his peculiar obsession to bite when he was younger, fourth birthday. He was in his parents room, playing with the small figurines his parents had given him for his third birthday. The king and queen wanted to make sure he wasn't spoilt.

When the queen entered the room, she smiled at her son who was so busy playing that he didn't notice his mother enter. "Happy birthday sweetheart." She said. Fang looked up in surprise and smiled at his mother.

Queen Johanna walked up to her son. She kissed his cheek, picked him up and held him on her waist. Then the king entered the chambers. He ruffled the boy's already ruffled black hair. "Happy birthday son." He handed Fang a package. Johanna set the boy down and smiled yet again when she saw him busily open the package.

Inside was a beautiful crown. It was silver with blue felt on the inside and blue stones carefully placed on the outside **(pic on profile)**. When Fang tried to put it on, it didn't fit on his head and slid onto his neck. He looked up at his parents in confusion. "When this fits you, you are ready to train to become a king. Until then, you must train to become a prince. There is one more present waiting for you outside." The king said.

When the royal family walked outside, a filly (baby girl horse) was in the stables. She was all black. There wasn't even a white star on her forehead. "Her name is Noeruline. She is yours." Fang stroked the foal's forehead. There was an instant connection between the two.

After about an hour of playing with Noero (Noeruline's nickname) the king and queen put boy to bed. After restlessly tossing and turning in his mother's lap, Fang finally went to sleep. King Stephen scooped him up and gently lay him down on his bed. He kissed his forehead and left the room.

The queen kissed Fang on the cheek. Then, as she was leaving the room, she whispered, "Goodnight my little prince."

That very same day, the prince was kidnapped by none other than Emmerston. A note was left on his bed saying that if anyone from Laylanth came into Emmerston; their beloved prince would be killed.

Max's P.O.V **(She's four years old)**

I was at my nanny, Valencia's house. I spend most of my time at her house. My mom and my dad won't care about me until I'm like fourteen so they can train me to be a queen. They even forgot my birthday. Valencia had five kids.

They all lived on the street, so she took them in when she found them. Today, Valencia's husband, Jeb was taking us to a slave auction. I hated seeing slaves get hurt and being forced to work against their own will, but Valencia said I would get used to it. When we got there, people were standing around a stage.

Slaves were being dragged out in handcuffs. The workers would say something about the slave, and people would start bidding. Jeb also bought a slave. After most of the auction was over, the announcer said they were going to bring out one more slave.

A boy who looked about my age was dragged out. He had black hair and dark eyes. People started laughing because who would want a four year old as a slave? "I know this is peculiar, but this boy is special." The announcer said.

"Here," he continued, "we have the future king of Laylanth." He nudged the boy forward. The crowd went silent. "That's right my dear citizens. We now that we have the prince of Laylanth in our hands, we can make them do anything we want." People cheered, and the bidding began.

The prince was sold for a very high price. After the crowd slowly dispersed, Jeb made us wait for our slave. The remaining crowd went silent as the prince was led out and handed to his new owner. He had a fresh purple bruise on his cheek, but surprisingly, there wasn't a single drop of water falling from his eyes. His eyes met mine and a flash of electricity jolted through me. Of course, I being a four year old, didn't understand anything. I never felt anything like it until fourteen years after that day, on my eighteenth birthday.

**Is it worth continuing? Please Review. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is Chapter 2 of Forbidden. I was sooooooo excited when so many people said that they loved it. I LOVE ALL OF YOU GUYS, and I hope I satisfy you with this story. **

Max's P.O.V

I, Princess Maximum officially hate my life. My father was making me supervise the fights we had. They were like gladiator fights. A poor slave would have to fight a soldier from our army. Apparently people find it _entertaining_ to watch it. I for one think it's savage.

Tomorrow was my eighteenth birthday, and my parents hadn't remembered yet; as usual. A man who looked like he was in his mid twenties was brought in. He was surrounded by many soldiers. I knew that he was a slave.

He had black hair that went up to his shoulder, and overlong bangs. His eyes were what caught my attention the most. They were pitch black with small gold specks in the middle. They seemed slightly familiar. "Pick your weapon _slave_." One of the soldiers sneered.

I paid close attention to him as his gorgeous eyes scanned all of the weapons laid out. They stopped at a sword. The sword looked small and light compared to our other swords. I understood why. On the hilt, there were two swords crossed carved in. That was the emblem of Laylanth.

No slave ever picked that sword. Everybody knew that it was cursed. None of the soldiers said anything. The man was pushed outside into the arena. I sat in the throne in between my mother and father. My tiara was hurting my head. I watched as the man looked at the sword in his hand.

The soldier had a large sword and shield. He attacked, but the slave easily parried. The audience went completely silent. The soldier looked confused. No slave ever knew how to fight.

Fang's P.O.V

I was amazed at how easily I managed to parry the blade. My sword felt like it was meant to be in my hands. The reason I picked it was because I knew it had the symbol of Laylanth engraved on it. As many years as it had been, I didn't forget my place back at home.

The soldier attacked me again. I parried his blade and went on the attack. With an easy twist, his sword went flying out of his hands. I knocked his feet out from underneath him. Then I kicked his shield out of his hand and touched my sword point to a nerve in his neck.

He immediately fell unconscious. The advantage was that everyone thought he was dead. His heart beat wouldn't be able to be felt for the next hour. I've been a slave for about thirteen, maybe fourteen (depending on the date) years. You might ask why I'm not ready to kill myself yet.

Well, I know that I'm going to get home one day. I was taken out of the arena. Everyone was completely silent. Good. It was about time Emmerston learned a lesson. My master walked towards me. I immediately lowered my head submissively.

He shook a bag of coins and shook it near my ear making me cringe. "I sold you for two hundred coins, but then I wondered if you were even worth that much." He tied a scratchy rope around my neck and led me outside like a dog. One day. I thought. One day, I would show them. As I was saying, my 'master' led me outside and handed my leash to a man.

He had five kids and a woman standing in front of him. The girl that I saw before was there too. She had beautiful dirty blonde locks that cascaded around an even more beautiful face. I met her chocolate brown eyes for less than a second, but immediately looked back at the ground.

There was a boy who looked slightly older than me, though with all of the battering I had taken, I probably looked much older. He had strawberry blonde hair and electric blue eyes. There was a girl with dark skin and equally dark unruly hair. I would say she was about twelve or thirteen.

A boy with platinum blonde hair and baby blue looked about eight. Next to him was a girl who had beautiful blonde ringlets, and the same blue eyes. They all looked at me with pity. I was confused. No one _ever _looked at me with pity. Sometimes, when I was younger and people knew I was a prince, people would look at me with disgust, anger, humor, or they would look down at me like I'm worth nothing.

"Does he fight back often?" The man questioned. My master shook his head. "He's a broken slave. Hasn't said a word since I bought him a year ago. As far as I know, he was born into it." More like kidnapped into it.

The man took my leash and started pulling a little too hard, causing me to stumble. "Go easy on him Jeb." The beautiful girl's silky voice wrung through the air. "He's a slave Mex. This is how it's meant to be." The man said as if I wasn't hearing every word he was saying. The girl rolled her eyes and we continued walking.

I was taken into a giant and I mean giant mansion. It was probably a size smaller then a castle. I kept my head down. As I was dragged into the house, I felt my new master's eyes studying me. "Listen slave," he said in a disgusted tone. "Everybody in this house is your master. You will obey every word they say. Now, to start, you may not talk or look at anyone unless you are instructed to. Do I make myself clear?"

I didn't say anything, but I guess he took it as a yes. Then he untied the rope on my neck. I resisted all urges to suck in a lot of air. "Now," continued me master, "you must clean every room in this house every day and serve us our food. We have a maid who cooks. Once you finish all of your chores, you may sleep in the basement. We like our breakfast by 9:30. All of the supplies you may use are in that closet." I slightly looked up at where he was pointing.

The whole house? Was he freaking kidding me? "I better be getting back to the castle." The beautiful girl said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow kay?" The women nodded. "Be safe Princess. See you tomorrow."

My eyes widened a fraction of an inch. _She _was the princess of Emmerston? My master was kind enough to allow me to go to my "bed" that night, so I only had to start my chores tomorrow. I slept on the cold hard floor and woke up at five in the morning. Knowing that there was no way I was getting any more sleep, I crept upstairs to start my work.

When I opened the closet, I found all sorts of familiar tools to clean houses. I started sweeping the kitchen floor. Then I mopped the living room. By the time I was finished with half the ground floor, it was 8:45.

By this time, the maid came. She was a girl who looked no more the twenty five. She had a pretty face that was surrounded by stick straight dark brown hair. Her eyes were almost as dark as mine. She smiled at me. "Hey. I'm Ella. If you didn't realize, I'm the maid here. Basically I cook the meals and go home. You must be the new slave."

I nodded. She seemed to understand that I didn't particularly like to talk and didn't try to egg me on, at exactly 9:30, the whole family came downstairs, fully dressed. I served them there breakfast which they took wordlessly. Then the princess walked in. She declined breakfast and just sat down, talking with the family.

I felt her staring at me for a long time, but I ignored her. I continued to work until they all confronted me. Oh great.

Max's P.O.V

I was right. My parents did forget my eighteenth birthday. I got so pissed that I just pushed past my father while he was speaking to me. When I walked into Jeb and Valencia's house, they were all eating there breakfast.

I was also really pissed at Jeb for treating the slave the way he did. I mean, he's human too isn't he? I didn't know why I was feeling so protective over this particular slave. It was just something about him. Something about him lured me.

When I first saw him, and he met my eyes, I felt this electric spark run through me. It felt familiar. Like, I'd felt it before. I realized I had been staring at him for the past ten minutes. I decided that I was going to confront him. Force him to tell us about himself. I told Iggy and Nudge my plan.

When Jeb and Valencia went into town, Iggy, Nudge, and I took this as our opportunity. We cornered him near Angel's room. "Hey." I whispered. He was stiff and it looked he was getting himself prepared for a punishment. "Hey, we're not going to hurt you." I said in a soothing voice. "We just want to ask you a few questions. I know you can talk." I really didn't, but I just wanted to add that part.

"This is Iggy. He just turned twenty one. This is Nudge. She is thirteen. I'm Max and I just turned eighteen. So, do you remember your name?" I asked.

He hesitated for a minute, but then answered quietly, 'Fang." His voice was raw from lack of use. Huh, Fang. Interesting. "Well, what about your age?" Igs asked. I was expecting something in the mid twenties.  
>"What's the date?" Fang asked. "It's May thirteenth." Fang nodded. "Then I'm eighteen." He said. "You remember your birthday?" I questioned.<p>

He nodded. "It's today." Odd. Today was my birthday. "Wait. Did you say you were eighteen?" Fang nodded. "That's impossible. You can't be eighteen. It's against the law for people under twenty- two to be slaves." I reasoned. Fang shook his head. "Today is my eighteenth birthday."

I didn't understand, but I thanked him for his time and left him to do his work. I couldn't tell anyone his real age because they would hurt him if they knew I was talking to him. Days passed and I couldn't stop thinking about Fang. When I woke up one morning, it all suddenly clicked.

He had the same birthday as me, was the same age as me. Black hair black eyes. Then I remembered where I had first felt the energy run through me. It was when I was four and was at my first slave auction. Prince Nicholas was one of the slaves being auctioned. That meant… Fang was Prince Nicholas.

How did I not see it before? I literally sprinted all the way to Iggy's house. I pulled Fang aside. "Hi." I whispered. He didn't answer and continued staring at the floor.

"Why do you always look at the floor and why do you always answer me with the shortest sentences possible or not at all?" I questioned.

"I have no business talking to royalty." He answered in his quiet voice. "I'm just a slave."

I shook my head. "You're royalty too though. I thought I recognized you when I met you at the fight. Then I realized that I saw you when you were at your first auction. You're Prince Nicholas."

A small smile played at Fang's lips. I was taken aback. "You're wrong Princess. I'm Prince Nicholas in Laylanth. Here, I'm just a slave."

**I know it's a really, really short chapter, but I thought this would be a good spot to end the writing. If you have any ideas, please feel free to PM me or write it in your reviews. Thank you to all you readers. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Max's P.O.V

Fang and I got closer and closer. Most of our conversations consisted of me talking and him listening. I loved to vent my problems out to,. When Jeb and Valencia left for town, I'd help Fang. It was always fun. Sometimes, when Fang was in a talkative mood, he'd utter a few words about his past owners and where he lived.

Most of his experiences were horrifying and I pitied him so much. One day in the palace, my parents summoned me. "Maximum, I'd like you to go to Lord Ari's palace and deliver him with this message. Sir Dylan and James (Iggy) will be accompanying you. Do you need a guide?"

I coughed. I hated Dylan. He was a sexist, racist, cruel animal. An idea sparked in my head. "May I take a slave as a guide? I have Sir Dylan to protect me and a slave will be easiest to feed and take because they don't eat much and they don't have any possessions of their own." I asked my father.

He considered my suggestion. "Which slave would you like to take?" He asked.

"The slave at lord Jeb's house. He never causes any trouble and is completely broken. Please Father."

He thought for a couple of minutes. "Very well. You may take him. Sir Dylan, James, you, and this slave will leave tomorrow morning."

I ran out of the house and to Jeb's house' I told him the news, and after a little bit of convincing, he let Fang and Iggy come. I told Fang the news. "You do know how to get there right?" After a few seconds of pondering, he nodded.

The next day came by very quickly. I met with Dylan who had to scan me head to toe. Fang stayed behind me. His head was bowed submissively as usual. Dylan's smile transformed into a scowl when he saw Fang. "_This_ is our guide?' He asked in a tone of disgust.

"Yes" I replied coolly even though on the inside I felt like slapping him. I marched past Dylan, signaling Fang to follow me. Once we entered the stables, a certain horse started neighing and snorting. It kicked the doors and bit at anything that got near it.

"He's always like that." I told Fang. I didn't want him to freak out. Fang stared at the horse. It was mad, muscular and completely black. Fang's face was confused. I studied him with interest as he looked over the horse. He walked over to him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. He's very temperamental." I warned.

He ignored me. As soon as he touched the horse's forehead, he instantly calmed down. "How did you do that?" I questioned. "He never calms down."

"It's a she." He whispered. "Her name is Noruline. She's my horse." He continued stroking _her _forehead.

"Well, it would only be proper if you ride her." I concluded. He nodded. I handed him a saddle, a bridle, and a bucket of brushes. I knew that he knew how to take care of horses because he had worked at stables before. As he got busy, I chose to ride a stallion named Simba.

Once we finished tacking our horses, we led the horses outside. Iggy had already tacked Snowfire **(I'm going all Eragon)**, his white horse.Dylan smiled at me and then scowled at Fang. "I'm warning you, slave, if you try anything on this trip, I'll kill you with my own bare hands." Dylan snarled. I glared at him, but he ignored me. Fang didn't say anything, as usual. He just mounted Noruline and we sped off into the forest.

I was carrying the scroll Father had given me. The trip was going to take about two to three days. We stopped every few hours to take a break. Iggy, Dylan, and I would sit down while Fang brought us food and water and tended to the horses.

"Good thing we have him with us, or we would have to do all of this work ourselves." Dylan sighed contently.

"Maybe we should help him." Iggy piped up. Dylan scoffed and ignored him.

"Aren't you going to give him any food? He's going to pass out with this glaring heat and an empty stomach." I tried to make it sound more like an order more than a question. Sadly, Dylan wasn't convinced. "That's the reason why we brought a slave. We don't have to waste our food on him."

I clenched my fists and saw Iggy do the same. I couldn't say anything to him though because Dylan, being the tattletale he was, would go tell my father. Then Fang and I would get in major trouble.

When Fang finished giving food and water to the horses, we mounted again and took off. More rivers and forests passed by. I couldn't help but notice how different Noruline looked. Our horses were big and burly whereas Noruline was lean and fast. Don't get me wrong, she had muscle, but it was a different kind.

When we stopped for the night, Fang set up our tents. There were only three. "Where's he going to sleep?" I questioned.  
>Dylan looked at me as if I was crazy. "Outside." He said in his duh tone. I considered letting him share my tent, but I knew Dylan would kill him. Literally.<p>

After Dylan fell asleep, I walked outside. All of our horses were tied to a tree stump except for Noruline. She was lying near the fire. Fang was leaning on her body. He was just staring into open space. He was pale and groggy. His eyelids were drooping. I realized that he hadn't eaten or drank anything all day.

"You hungry?" I asked him. After a few seconds he replied, "Starving." I slipped him a piece of bread. He hesitated for a minute before gobbling up the food. He lay back, leaning his head on Noruline's body again and closed his eyes.

I stared at him for a while, but he didn't seem to notice. When I heard his breathing deepen, and saw his chest rise and fall, I decided to retire to my tent.

When I woke up the next morning, the sun was shining through the thin walls of my tent. I crawled out of the tent. Fang was still fast asleep. Noruline was awake though. She didn't seem to mind that Fang's head was resting on her back. I decided that I didn't want to wake Fang up.

I started the fire up again. In a matter of minutes, Iggy crawled out of his tent. He greeted me with a good morning. When I told him not to wake up Fang, he agreed. We would wake him up just before Dylan woke up.  
>He made breakfast since I couldn't cook even if my life depended on it and discussed how much of an asshole Dylan was. Sadly, Dylan woke up a lot sooner than expected.<p>

He came outside and was greeted by the sight of Iggy cooking breakfast and me breaking down my tent. What made him outraged though was the sight of Fang sleeping. Before he did anything rash, I piped up, "I decided not to wake him up. He hasn't eaten anything in a day and he must be tired. Please don't hurt him. I can't bear to see it."

Dylan ignored me. He made a move to kick Fang, but Noruline was up in a matter of seconds. She reared at Dylan and screeched, daring him to try and hurt Fang. I almost cracked up at Dylan's expression. Fang was also up in a matter of seconds. He stroked Noruline's forehead and calmed her down.

When Fang had completely calmed her down, Dylan slapped him across the face. The sickening sound of skin tearing made both Iggy and I wince. I looked up and saw that Fang had a deep gash on his right cheek from Dylan's ring. He didn't even acknowledge the pain though.

Dylan, who was about four inches taller than Fang, stepped up until he was right in Fang's face, looking down at him. Fang took a step back. "If I ever catch you slipping again, I won't go as easy on you. Now, go pack up the camp and load the horses." Dylan said in his superior tone.

I scowled at him when he was turned away. Then he turned on me.

Fang's P.O.V

I reviewed the day's events in my head. I had been reunited with Noruline and I was leading Max, Iggy, and Dylan to my old master, Ari's house. Ari was the cruelest master I had ever had. He was the one who branded my chest to show that I was the property of Emmerston.

He was also one of the only owners I had who knew that I was I was the prince of Laylanth. That made him treat me ten times worse. He'd always make fun of me and my kingdom. Of course, he thought I was a mute like most of my other masters. I worked for him when I was sixteen.

Ari would always take advantage of the female slaves that I had to work with. Sometimes when I was working on the fields, I would see girls coming out of his house, half naked and crying. I wanted to beat the crap out of him. It was definitely on my to do list. Of course, first on my to do list was to escape this hell hole and go back home.

I was setting up camp for Max, Iggy, and Dylan. We were taking a break for the night. My whole body was aching. I hadn't had anything to eat all day, and the glaring sun had been pounding on me. I tied all of the horses to a tree except for Noroe. She lay down by the fire, and I leaned on her body.

Max came outside and offered me a piece of bread. I hesitated, but gave in in the end. I leaned back and closed my eyes. Noroe made an exceptionally comfortable pillow compared to my other beds if you can even call them that.

I dreamed that night. It wasn't my normal nightmare though. It was more like a message. An old crumply lady was sitting in a cliché wooden rocking chair. "The time has almost come my dear. Hang in there just a little bit longer." She said in her old lady voice.

I tried to ask her what she was talking about, but she cut me off. "All your questions will be answered when you come home, Fang. You have a very powerful destiny that could change the lives of many people. Now go to sleep. I believe you have a long day tomorrow."

The dream ended in a hazy swirl. I was in a peaceful sleep until my pillow left. I heard neighing and shrieking. I was up in a flash. Noroe was about to kill Dylan. I know I should have let her, but I didn't. I calmed her down, by stroking her forehead.

Then Dylan backhanded me across the face. It hurt like hell, but I didn't show it. I felt blood sliding down my right cheek. I ignored the pain. Dylan took a step forward, towering over me. He threatened me and then he barked instructions. Nothing I wasn't used to. I packed up our camp. In the background, I heard Dylan and Max having an argument.

When I was done packing up, we were on our way to Ari's house. We got there at about mid afternoon. Ari stepped out and greeted us. I kept my head down, hoping. No praying that Ari wouldn't notice me. Of course, he did. "Nicholas. Is that you?" He asked in his mocking tone.

"You refer to a slave by its first name Ari?" Dylan asked.

Ari smiled. "Well, this isn't just any slave now are you Nicholas? This is Prince Nicholas. The future king of Laylanth." He teased. I felt Dylan's piercing gaze on me.

"The king must be told." Dylan muttered.

It was decided that Max, Dylan, and Iggy were going to stay at Ari's mansion for lunch. Dylan asked Ari to get one of his slaves to lead me to the stables, but he decided to do it himself. He led Snowfire and Dylan's horse, Lightning and I led Noroe and Simba.

Once we got to the stables, Ari turned to me. "So how are you doing?" He asked sweetly. When I didn't answer he fake pouted. "Still giving me the silent treatment?" He noticed my face. "What happened? Were you being a bad little slave?" After a few more taunting remarks, he left me alone.

I sat down and waited. When they were done we left again. The trip coming back also took a day and a half, but we were back in the city in no time.

Max's P.O.V

A week had passed since we had gone on that horrible trip to Ari's house. I was walking to Jeb's house. I don't know if Dylan told my father about Fang, but my father hasn't said anything to me so I'm not sure. When I got to their mansion, I saw Jeb and Fang near the door.

"Look up." Jeb said firmly to Fang. Fang obediently picked up his head. Jeb tied a rope around his neck. Once it was double knotted and secure, Fang put his head down again. "Where are you going?" I asked.

"Your father has asked me to sell Fang. He believes that you are getting too close to him." My heart sunk. I loved having Fang here. Even though I wasn't supposed to, I was starting to have feelings for him.

Fang met my eyes one more time before he was led out the door with Jeb in front of him.

Fang's P.O.V

I was being sold again. I hated it when people came and looked at me like I was nothing more than merchandise. Jeb made me stand in a special area in town. People who passed by seemed pretty interested in me, but most of them already had their own slaves. A few people came and felt my biceps to see if I was strong enough to work at their area. Jeb even made me take off my shirt. After standing in the unforgiving sun for hours, a burly man and his son, I think, decided to buy me.

I cost four hundred coins which was pretty darn cheap. I heard Jeb saying that I was a mute, and I was very broken and obedient. It was nothing I wasn't used to hearing. Jeb handed them the rope, took the money, and walked back to his house. The man and his son faced me. The man retied the rope on my neck.

They didn't say anything. The man yanked on the rope, causing me to be painfully dragged forward. By the time we got to their house, my neck was sprained and cut. Once we walked inside, a woman and two girls with flaming red hair and green eyes walked into the living room.

"I'm guessing this is the slave you bought." One of the girls said. No…It's just a random kid they found on the road and dragged to a house on a leash…

Apparently, the burly man was apparently a restaurant owner and I get to work at his restaurant. I was immediately put to work, sweeping floors, cleaning tables, collecting plates, and serving people.

It was a few weeks after I started working at the restaurant, Max, Iggy, Gazzy, Angel, Nudge, and Valencia came to the restaurant. Max's whole face tit up when she saw me, which made my heart flutter.

I had to continue cleaning tables though. When I was about to serve Max and her table, a knight burst into the restaurant. Everyone went silent. He opened a scroll. "By order of His Majesty, King Richard and Lady Gloria, Prince Nicholas of Laylanth is to be immediately escorted to the palace for imprisonment." He recited.

All eyes turned towards me, causing a queasy feeling to spread throughout my stomach. Max looked like she'd seen a ghost. None the less, guards immediately surrounded me, and I was off to see the king and queen.

**Review! If you have any ideas/ suggestion, please feel free to tell me… **


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

Fang's P.O.V

It was a long walk to the castle. Especially when you have guards surrounding you the whole time. When I finally got to the castle though, I was pushed onto my hands and knees right in front of the king and queen.

"Ahhh… Prince Nicholas. We meet at last." The king purred. "The last time I saw you, you were four. You've grown I see." I heard him get up off of his throne. I looked up slightly.

King Richard was what people might call a good looking man. He had neatly cut brown hair, a good body structure, and was very tall. The only thing that was scary about him was his eyes. Like Max's, they were chocolate brown, but Max's were more like honey whereas his were cold and unforgiving.

"Tell me Nicholas, what do you think of Emmerston? I know you can speak. My lovely daughter told me." A rush of anger flowed into me. She told them. Suddenly the door slammed open and Max herself came inside the room.

"Father, what did you tell him?"She roared. Her face was red from running so far. "Just the truth." King Richard replied.

"What did you tell him?" She repeated through gritted teeth.

"I told him exactly what you told me."

"I never told you anything!" Max cried.

Her father ignored her. "So tell me Nicholas. What do you think of Emmerston?" I contemplated whether to answer or not.

"It's a living hell." I finally muttered. I saw the king raise his hand to stop the guards who were getting ready to 'punish' me for speaking.

"You know what else I found interesting? How you managed to disarm one of my soldiers without any training. I mean I know that you're town is known for swordsmen, but still." I ignored him.

"Let me ask you a question. How would you like to see your parents again?" My head shot up. I looked the king straight in the eye. He chuckled. "Yeah, you like that don't you? You see how nice I am. I'm allowing you to see your parents one last time before I kill them. I might keep you, but you never know. Then, Laylanth will finally be mine. "

Before I could say anything, guards came out of nowhere and dragged me out of the room. They took me into a dungeon and pushed me into a cell. Then they chained one of my wrists to a wall. Finally the door was slammed closed. I was in for a miserable night.

Max's P.O.V

My father had a smug look on his face after Fang was dragged away. "What is wrong with you?" I fumed.

He just stared at me. "Why did you do that? He's a person. He has feelings." I stressed.

"He's an enemy Max. He's here for a reason." I huffed out of the room. I hate my life, and I hate my dad.

Gloria's P.O.V (**Max's Mom)**

I was sitting next to my husband. I almost felt bad for the poor boy that was dragged away. I knew he was the prince of our rival city, and all, but he was still just a child. "Richard, don't you think you went a little harsh on him?" I asked my husband.

"Not you too Gloria. He's our _enemy._ What do you want me to do? Serve him tea?"  
>"You should let him go." I concluded.<p>

"Let him go? Have you gone insane? Stephen and Johanna would have my head on a stick. He is our token to safety. You know as well as I do that Laylanth's people support there king and queen a whole lot more then we are supported by ours. They will gladly attack us for kidnapping their prince. As long as we have him, they won't step a toe on our property."

"You should still take it a little easy on him Richard." I argued.

"Why?"

"Because he's only eighteen years old. He's a child. Whatever is going between our kingdoms, it isn't his fault. How would you like it if they did the same thing to Max?"

"He stays where he is." Richard replied gruffly. I decided not to argue with him. The call was made to Laylanth. The king and queen have been invited to our city to our city to meet their son.

Johanna's P.O.V**(Fang's Mom)**

It's been fourteen years. Fourteen years since I've seen my beautiful baby. He would be grown up now. All big and strong. There has been a cloud of gloom swallowing up our city since that day. Every time I went to his room I broke down into sobs.

My husband would have to comfort me, not that that helped. I know he's not dead though. I always thought that I would be able to feel it if someone I deeply loved had died. I knew he was alive for the last fourteen years until the invitation confirmed my beliefs.

It said…

_Dear King Stephen and Queen Johanna,_

_We would like you to come to the city of Emmerston for a little chat about our differences._

_We know that you would rather not step a foot into our city, but Nicholas is still with us._

_We will still kill him of you don't come._

_We may even let you see him. Meet us at the palace tomorrow in the evening._

_Regards,_

_King Richard and Queen Gloria_

We decided to go of course. Anything to see my baby. The evening came, and I dressed in a royal blue gown. I hated gowns, but if I was going to Emmerston where gender barriers do exist, I would probably need to. I met Stephen outside our room.

Excitement lit up both of our faces. Before we left though, I managed to slip a knife into my dress. Just in case.

Fang's P.O.V

I don't know how long it's been… I'm going crazy just sitting here all day… I need to get out. My wrist was raw and bloody from pulling at the handcuff on my left wrist. I haven't eaten or drank anything in days. The door to my cell opened, and three guards walked in. One of them unhooked the chain from the cell wall, but kept it chained to my wrist.

They used it like a leash to drag me forward. Drops of blood spilled onto the palm of my hand. They had come from the cuts that reopened from me yanking at the chains for days. That probably wasn't a very smart thing to do.

I was pulled back into the main chamber where I had seen King Richard in the first place. The guard handed my leash thing to King Richard. He yanked on it hard, causing me to stumble. "Are you ready to meet your parents boy?" He asked.

I knew he didn't expect an answer and I being the obedient child I was didn't say anything. The king continued to hold my arm leash thing. I was starting to feel anxious. How would they feel about me? Would they just turn their shoulder and walk away claiming that I wasn't their son? Would they still care about me?

I didn't have time to actually answer my own questions because then the door was opened and two people walked in. They were my mom and dad. They both had the same regal look to them. They exuded power and confidence.

My mother had the same beautiful face, except there were a few more wrinkles and some dark circles. It was the same with my father. When they saw me, their eyes teared up. "Mom? Dad?" I whispered.

I was a few inches taller than my mother, but a few inches shorter then my father. That's what happens when you only get like three hours of sleep every night for the last fourteen years. They both pulled me into an embrace. Mom kept muttering, "My baby, my baby's alive." Over and over again. There warmth stirred the oldest of memories from when I was a kid.

I almost forgot that I was in the palace of our enemy. Actually I did until King Richard yanked the chain back causing me to be dragged back with it. "Well, wasn't that touching?" King Richard mocked.

My parents glared at him with anger and disgust. "Let him go." Max growled. I looked behind me and saw that she has come out of nowhere. "His parents are here Dad. Just give it up."

"I would listen to your daughter if I were you." My dad seethed.

King Richard shouted, "Guards! Kill them all."

"No" Max screamed. It was all a blur from there. The guards started fighting each other. I'm guessing it was because Mom and Dad have brought their own soldiers in disguise. I didn't know who was on whose side. No matter what happened though, King Richard didn't let go of the chain. Wherever he went I was dragged along with him.

It seemed to me though that King Richard's army was winning. Finally, my parents had to draw back. They would be killed if they stayed longer. Just like that, all of my happiness and bliss was gone. I wasn't free. Who was I kidding? I would never be free.

"Thought you were free didn't you? Well let me tell you something boy. You will never be free. From now on, you will be working here, for me. My personal slave, if you will." I hated him. I hated this city.

One day, I though. One day, I'll have the satisfaction of seeing it being burned to nothing but ashes. I was chained to a wall next to the king's throne. The king had gone to his chambers and wasn't coming back until tomorrow morning. It was freezing where I was.

I pulled my knees to my chest and tried to close my eyes to get some sleep. I had no doubt that King Richard was probably going to work me to death. My stomach wouldn't stop grumbling though. I hadn't eaten in days. Somewhere in the middle of the night I managed to doze off.

I was woken up by one of the soldiers. Not in a nice gentle manner though. He presses his boot onto my hand. My eyes snapped open. "Time for work." He said in a cheerful tone. He pressed down harder on my finger. I didn't meet his eyes, but I made sure I kept my face impassive. No weakness. That was what I lived by.

The soldier smiled even more and stepped down harder. Then, "Darren!" There was a sharp voice. It was Queen Gloria. The guard had barely lifted his foot when I yanked it out from underneath, cradling it to my chest.

The guard stepped away and Queen Gloria stood above me. "Are you okay?" She asked in a much softer tone. Was this some kind of a trick? The queen herself was speaking to me as if I was a human: an equal. I let my shoulders lift slightly, shrugging.

"Well, if you promise not to run, I won't pull on the chain. You think you can do that?" She asked in the same tone. I nodded slightly. She unlocked it. I stood up. I knew that running away would get me nowhere, so I followed her. She led the way up to a large area of double doors.

Right when we were outside, she took hold of my leash and opened the doors .Inside, sitting, was King Richard. He smiled coldly at me. "Nice to see you Nicholas. I hope you slept well." I kept my eyes trained onto a spot on the ground.

"Anyway. On today's agenda, we are going to be seeing your level of skill with a blade. I've been meaning to ask you. How long ago were you branded?" He asked. After a few seconds, he took a step closer to me. "Answer me."

"Twelve years." I whispered. He came closer and pulled my shirt collar down. "I believe it is about time for you to be rebranded. " I mentally winced. Then he went on to explaining the rest of the 'fun' I was going to have throughout the day.

It started out at the arena. There was no audience, just a few soldiers. I was given a sword, but not the nice balanced one from Laylanth, but a huge bulky one from Emmerston that I could barely wield. I knew right then that I would have a lot of cuts that night.

I didn't even know how I managed to fight with the other one. I was put against one soldier. Now that everyone knew I was the prince of an enemy city, the soldiers were hungrier for blood. They lashed out, not a single ounce of pity in their fiery eyes.

Yet another slash to my neck. I managed to bring my sword just high enough to block it. The soldier struck again. He cut a good sized cut into my cheek. I felt warm blood ooze out of the gash. The soldier slashed again, forming a gash under my knee. I couldn't fight with this sword.

My knee buckled, and I fell on my butt. The soldier held his sword up high, and ran up to me. I moved back as fast as I could while still on the ground. "Stop." The king's loud voice cut in. The soldier obediently lowered his blade. I stood up shakily. I had now acquired a cut on my face, knee, wrist, and a few bruises elsewhere.

The king walked over. "I have to say Nicholas. I'm not impressed." He lead me with the chain that was still on my wrist to a different area. Time to be rebranded. He left me there. The people just smiled sickly at me. A lot of people seem to be doing that to me today.

My shirt was torn off. Literally. "This may hurt a bit." Thanks for the warning. The man put a large iron bar with the Emmerston symbol on the end of it into the fire. When he took it out, it was glowing orange. He walked slowly making me fidget even more, expecting the pain. When it was pressed against me chest I bit my lip in order not to cry out in agony.

The bar was on my chest for a few seconds, but they felt like hours. Once it was taken off, the lion preparing to pounce, Emmerston's symbol, was in red on my chest. In a matter of minutes it became puffed up and purple. I wouldn't be able to wear a shirt for the next few days.

I remembered the first time I was branded. When I was a six year old.

_My first master's name was Dustin. He was an older man with a wife, a son, a daughter, and three grandchildren. He was the nicest master I had ever had. He would always argue with his son and daughter the even though I was an enemy, that I posed no threat since I was only four. _

_He never made me do that much work, and treated me almost as well as his grandchildren. When it came time for me to be branded, he fought for me and said that I shouldn't have to be branded. The king determined this as treason and ordered Dustin to be murdered. Alll of his property was handed off to his son who was the oldest child. _

_I was also handed over to him. He was cruel. He took his revenge out on me for 'killing' his father. I was only six at the time, and I didn't know what to do. Dustin's son's name was Allen. He took me to get branded himself. The searing pain made me cry. For the first and last time in Emmerston, I cried. And boy did I get punished for it. I could barely walk after all the damage Allen did to me. Along with all the work I had to do, Allen's two sons, who were sixteen at the time, used to always hurt me and shoot rude remarks about my parents or me. _

That house scarred me so much that I sunk deep into myself. No emotion was my motto. It was also the last time I ever talked to anyone willingly. That was until I met Max.

_**The change was that Fang is still at Emmerston. His parents couldn't save him. **_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hey guys! You should read Chapter 4 again before you read this chapter. I reupdated it because I felt that it was a little rushed. I'm soooo sorry. Just read the end. That's all that was changed. There will be a little FAX so please note that Max and Fang have known each other for a while. **_

_**Chapter 5**_

Max came to get me that day. She gasped at my appearance. She glared at the man who branded me. Then she picked up that chain that was still attached to my wrist and pretended to drag me away. When we got back to the palace she turned on me. "What did they do to you? I'm going to kill them!" Max fumed.

"It's nothing." I answered. She took my hand in hers. It was warm and smooth.

"I hate seeing you get hurt." She whispered.

"It's part of the job description." I said, smirking lightly. It was so easy to speak and just be me when I was around her. I didn't have to hold back. She smiled too. I loved it when she smiled. It was like a ray of sunshine in my dark, depressing world.

She pulled me to her bed and made me sit down. "Mom and Dad went to town. They won't be here until evening. I realized that it was still early afternoon. She wet a piece of cloth and wiped off the blood. It stung a bit, but was nothing compared to everything else I had gone through. Then she moved on to my burn.

She spread a cream on it that stung, but after a few minutes it felt really good on the burned flesh. Max winced at the sight of my burn. It looked pretty gruesome. The skin had peeled off, and it was a purple color. Swollen and large, the worst part was that it was in the shape of a lion pouncing.

I cupped Max's face with my hand. "Hey, I'm fine."

"No you're not. Nobody humane would do this to innocent people. This city is filled with monsters." She sounded on the verge of tears.

"You're not a monster." I said quietly. Max was still holding my hand. She scooted closer to me, so our foreheads were almost touching.

"You're amazing you know that?" She whispered. I gave her a small smile. She leaned in and kissed my cheek. Her warm lips felt like heaven.

Then she pulled away and smiled at me. Black met brown, and for a minute there were sparks.

Max's P.O.V

About ten minutes after I got the guts to kiss Fang, he was out like a light. I made him take a nap telling him that he needed one before my parents came. I smiled at how carefree he looked. The creases on his forehead, scrunching of his eyebrows, and empty look in those beautiful eyes were all gone.

He actually looked eighteen rather than twenty-five. I stroked his hair softly. Then I caught a look at his arm. I picked it up and began examining. There were recent scars that were ugly and puckered, but then there were older ones. Ones that were faded pink lines. They seemed to have grown with him. How old was we when he became a slave again?

Ah. Four. My heart panged. When I was four, I played with stuffed animals and at the park with Iggy while Fang was getting abused by his masters. The thought made me sick. Scars covered his whole body. There as barely a patch of plain skin. There had to be a pink line or mark that disturbed it. Then there was the skinniness factor.

I could count all of Fang's ribs with no problem. I played with his fingers and calmed myself with the rhythm of his breathing. "I will get you out of here." I whispered to his sleeping form. "Even if it means I have to go against my own parents."

When Fang woke up, he looked ten times better than he had that morning. We still had a few hours until my parents came home from their meeting with the lords and ladies of the land. Fang and I just talked. Well, more like I talked to him. I ranted on and on about how stupid my life was. I know I have to right to tell him, but he never said anything. He just listened.

"… I mean, I feel like I'm their puppet. They want me to be the perfect little princess who really wants to be a queen. Who is proper and ladylike. Sometimes I wish I was a peasant girl. Their life seems so much easier. What do I do Fang? I don't agree with my parent's laws. I hate them." I asked him hopelessly.

Fang was quiet for a minute. "Tell them." Fang replied.

"What?"

"Say you hate it."

""Where will that get me? They just won't make me queen."

"At least you have a say in something. Listen Max. We both desire the same thing."

"And what is that"

"Freedom."

"I never said I didn't want to be the queen."

"Do you?"

"I don't know." There was a moment of silence.

"I should leave. Your parents are going to be here any minute." Fang got up and left the room.

Johanna's P.O.V **(Fang's Mom)**

I was in my room crying again. We were so close. So close to bringing him home. I was staring at a picture of Fang, Stephen, and I. I was holding Fang in my arms and kissing one of his cheeks, and Stephen was kissing the other. Fang had a cheeky grin on his face. Then, Stephan stormed into the room. I looked up at him, tears still streaking down my face. "Why are you crying?" He asked, his face becoming gentle.

"We lost him." I said, breaking down again.

"No. No we didn't. We are going to reply to Richard. Show him that we are the stronger city." Stephen held me in his arms.  
>"How?" I asked.<p>

"Unless he returns Fang to his rightful place, we are declaring war." He said grimly.

**I know, I know. It's short, fillery, and really stupid since I made you wait that long. I'm sorry. I have so many finals and state assessments coming up. The next time I'll be able to update normally again is when summer vacation starts. Sorry. There was FAX though. REVIEW!( even if you're telling me how much I suck)**


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